Graystripe's Odyssey
by WanderingAngel
Summary: Graystripe plots his return to Thunderclan. This is his story.Disclaimer: Again, nothing is ours. We just borrowed them for a while.
1. Chapter 1

**GRAYSTRIPE'S ODYSSEY**

Part One

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine. I just borrowed them for a while.

_Summary: Graystripe plots his return to Thunderclan. This is his story._

The cat bolted out the door the moment it opened and raced for the forest, his true home. He had been through quite a lot these past few moons and couldn't wait to be free of his prison, and the horrible food. He knew he'd been gone awhile and his friends were probably worried, but this was the first chance he had to escape. He was an important cat with duties to his Clan as their deputy. He hoped they hadn't given him up for dead. If so, they were in for quite a surprise!

After the successful rescue of his Clanmates from the wired nests that held them captive, he was captured, shoved into a similar wired nest and thrown into the belly of a monster. He fought desperately to escape and with the same ferociousness as though he was in a battle with ShadowClan. He lost, but not before he could inflict considerable damage. Graystripe could still hear the Twoleg howling. For a fleeting moment he pitied it. Then he realized his own grim situation. The monster was moving, away from the forest and onto the Thunderpath. Then it picked up speed.

_So this is what it's like to be in a monster, _he thought_. Great StarClan I'm going to be sick. Where's Cinderpelt when you need her? _

After what seemed like an eternity for the gray cat, the monster stopped. Through the bars of his cage he could see what looked like hundreds of Twolegplaces with many Thunderpaths (very active ones) running right through them. The place was swarming with Twolegs and the noise and stench were almost unbearable. The Twoleg carried him inside another nest that resembled the place where Leafpaw was held captive.

Inside he could smell the fear-scent of the many cats and dogs that were also held prisoner here. He was unable to scent any of his Clanmates or cats from other Clans. The scents here were mostly from rogues and kittypets. Hundreds of wired nests lined the walls stacked on top of each other. Amid the din of desperate yowls he could make out cries of "Help me!" "Don't take me!" and "When is that workfolk going to change my bedding? It's filthy." The other cats were too distressed to notice that a newcomer had joined them.

The door to his nest opened and Graystripe made his escape. He sprang from the nest, claws flailing, onto the floor and made a run for the door of this horrible prison. Unfortunately, the Twolegs were too quick for him; they blocked the exit and grabbed him by the scruff of the neck. He writhed and tried to shake himself free while clawing at the Twoleg that held him who then yowled in pain and threw him to the floor. He then took off running faster than he'd ever run in his life. Just as freedom was in sight everything went black.

When it was light again he saw that he was in another, much larger wired nest with cats above and below him. The wire floor hurt his paws and the bedding was nothing like the moss he was so used to at home. There were two dishes, one filled with water and the other with kittypet pellets. _If this is all I have to eat, I'd rather starve._

"Not much good that'll do you," said a voice, "besides, you get used to it after awhile."

"Where I come from, we prefer to hunt for ourselves rather than take food from Twolegs like kittypets,"

"So, that'd make you a forest cat! My mother warned me that forest cats were wild and scary and would eat me alive," piped up a spunky tortoiseshell kitten below him, "but, you don't look that scary to me,"

"Your mother was only half right. We are wild and can be quite scary, but rest assured we don't eat kittypets,"

"So what's a forest cat like you doing in a place like this?" scoffed a large orange tabby.

"I was captured,"

"Oh, so that was _you_ who tried to break free before. Nice try. Too bad it didn't work,"

"I didn't see you put in any effort," retorted Graystripe.

"Oh, I tried, believe me. Many times. We all tried when we first came here. After awhile you give up." The tabby sighed, "Besides, the less you fight the longer you live."

"What do you mean?" replied Graystripe.

"Well, the feisty ones, you see, they disappear and never come back. Since we're going to be here awhile, do you have a name? I'm Tigger."

"I'm Graystripe."

"Graystripe? What kind of a name is that!" Tigger purred with laughter.

"It's my warrior name," Graystripe replied indignantly.

"Your what?"

"Warrior name. Where I come from, cats are divided into four Clans. Warriors help defend the Clan's territories from outsiders or rival Clans. When each kit is born, they are given a name that distinguishes them from their Clanmates. Since I have gray stripes, they call me Graystripe,"

Graystripe had a captive audience. The whole room erupted with questions. It was obvious that none of these cats had ever met a forest cat before.

"What's it like to hunt?"

"What's it like in the forest?"

"Is it really as bad as we're told?"

Graystripe replied, "There's nothing like hunting for your own prey, but it's a hard life. You sleep out in the elements and sometimes go for days without eating. It's not for everyone. But it's a small price to pay for freedom. I wouldn't trade it for anything,"

Silence permeated the room. Finally, Tigger spoke.

"That may be, but I liked my housefolk and the life they had given me. I was always warm and well-fed."

"If you were so well cared for and liked, what are you doing here?" asked Graystripe

"One day it all changed. It was so sudden… I was abandoned," replied Tigger

Graystripe's eyes conveyed sympathy; "You wouldn't have had that problem if you were Clanborn. Where I come from we don't abandon our Clanmates."

"I'll never understand housefolk," lamented Tigger.

That night, after most of the cats had gone to sleep, Graystripe finally had time to plot his escape. The plan was twofold. First, he would have to get that latch open. Then he would have to find a way out of the Twolegplace without being seen (or caught).


	2. Chapter 2

The next several days were agonizing for Graystripe. Try as he might, he could not get the latch to his cage open. The gaps between the wires were just too narrow. For their part, the Twolegs who would periodically enter the room to clean their cages and refill their food and water bowls had learned from their previous encounter with Graystripe. Each time they entered the room now there were always more than one Twoleg. Usually there were about three or four who came in, and whenever they entered, the first thing they did was to close the door, so that even if Graystripe somehow managed to get out of his cage, there was no way he could elude the Twolegs and escape the room. In addition, there was a small window set high up the wall, but not too high as to rule it out as a possible escape route. So whenever the Twolegs came in, they closed the window too. After a while he began to understand what Tigger and the other cats meant by giving up trying to escape after so many futile attempts. As the days progressed, Graystripe became more and more despondent and pessimistic about his chances of ever escaping and rejoining his Clanmates. He would often think about them, and wonder if Firestar, Brambleclaw and the others made it safely to wherever they were heading.

One night, when thinking of his Clanmates, he began praying to StarClan to guide Firestar and the rest of the cats safely to their new home. He thought he was praying silently until he heard Tigger call out, "Who or what is this StarClan you refer to all the time"?

"Yeah, you mention the name often enough," said the spunky tortoiseshell from before, the one that Graystripe remembered had thought forest cats ate kittypets.

"Basically, StarClan refers to our warrior ancestors from our clans who have passed on before us. When a cat from our clans loses its life, he goes off to join StarClan in the heavens and stars above the forest. Whenever we need guidance, we turn to them. Many times they come to us in dreams and give us cryptic prophecies that we are left to decipher to find the answers we seek". He paused and looked at the tortoiseshell. "What is your name by the way?" "It's Fluffy."

"Well, Fluffy, I am still holding out hope that StarClan will come to me and show me that my Clanmates are okay, and that I may find a way out of here."

"Fat chance of that happening," snorted Tigger. "If you continue to think you can find a way out of here, then you are one of the most stubborn cats I have ever laid eyes on".

Graystripe didn't answer this time. Instead, he laid his head upon his paws and tried to go to sleep. He was tired, and he wanted to rest.

During the night, he dreamed. He dreamed of a big lake, of standing on the shore and looking out as far as the eye can see. He saw some Twolegplaces and Thunderpaths, but nowhere near to the extent as they were in their old forest home. He glanced to his right and saw Squirrelpaw and Leafpaw lying side-by-side, sleeping. Nearby were Longtail and the other Thunderclan elders, Goldenflower and Mousefur. His heart became full of joy to see them and saw that they were okay. He couldn't see any sign of Firestar or any of the other cats though. He walked over to Squirrelpaw and Leafpaw. When the two cats opened their eyes and saw who was standing there, they sat up, eyes wide and ears twitching.

It was Squirrelpaw who spoke first. "Graystripe? Is it really you?" "Great StarClan, you're alive!" said Leafpaw." He looked down at them and said, "Tell Firestar I am alive and working on a plan to get to you again. By the light and guidance of StarClan I will find you. I promise." And with that Graystripe woke up. When he woke up, sunlight was coming in through the window, and at that moment he knew. He knew that StarClan did not abandon him and that today would be the day he would finally escape and set out to rejoin the Clan. He just didn't know how the opportunity would present itself.

Many moons journey away, Squirrelpaw and Leafpaw both woke up suddenly with a yowl of surprise. From the look they gave each other, they both realized that they received a vision from StarClan. Their movements were enough to wake up Longtail and the other elders. He said, "What's gotten into you two"?

Squirrelpaw and Leafpaw turned to the elder. "We both just received a vision from StarClan. Graystripe's alive!"

Longtail's ears perked up sharply and he raised his head. "Are you sure?"

"Don't be mousebrained Longtail", said Goldenflower.

"Are you seriously going to question a vision from StarClan?" added Mousefur.

"Well, of course not," said Longtail.

"We better go find Firestar at once!" proclaimed Squirrelpaw. And with that, Squirrelpaw and Leafpaw took off in search of their father, who they knew would want to hear this good news right away.

Squirrelpaw and Leafpaw found Firestar and their mother Sandstorm sharing a piece of freshkill at the base of a large tree. They skidded to a stop in front of them, and for a moment said nothing as they tried to catch their breath from running so fast. Firestar watched them carefully and knew immediately something was up, but neither he nor Sandstorm was prepared for what came next.

"We just received a vision from StarClan," said Leafpaw in between trying to catch her breath.

"Both of you? At the same time? asked SandStorm.

"What did you two see? What did StarClan show you?" asked Firestar.

"It's about Graystripe. Firestar, he's alive!" exclaimed Squirrelpaw.

Firestar couldn't believe what he just heard. He shared a look with Sandstorm. Hardly a day had gone by when the Thunderclan leader didn't think of his good friend and Thunderclan deputy. In his heart he had never given up hope that Graystripe was alive, which was why he had not named a new Thunderclan deputy to replace him.

"Did he tell you where he was? What exactly did he say to you?" asked Firestar.

Leafpaw shook her head. "We don't know. All he said was to tell you that he's alive and is working on a plan to find his way to where we are, that StarClan will help him."

"I hope you're right Leafpaw," Sandstorm said. She turned to Firestar. "What do we do now?"

"I don't know," he said after a moment's thought. He turned to Sandstorm. "In any event, we need to let the rest of Thunderclan know. Leafpaw, Squirrelpaw, go find Cinderpelt. Sandstorm, go tell the rest of the cats to gather around here by me." As they turned away to go carry out their orders, Sandstorm turned back. "What about the other Clans? Should we tell them as well?"

"For the time being, let's not tell the other Clans just yet. For now I just want to keep this knowledge within ThunderClan. Although I may tell the other Clans at the next Gathering, whenever and wherever that may be" said Firestar.

When all of Thunderclan had gathered around Firestar, the leader said, "Squirrelpaw and Leafpaw received a vision from StarClan."

"What did you see?" asked Sootfur.

"Yeah, what did you see?" added Spiderpaw.

"Graystripe's alive," said Firestar.

At once the clearing erupted in yowls of surprise and joy, and questions began coming in one right after another.

"Is he still being held by the Twolegs, or has he escaped already?" asked Dustpelt.

"Where is he now? Is he hurt?" This from Cinderpelt.

"How will he find his way here?" said Brackenfur.

"Can we mount a rescue attempt?" asked Brambleclaw.

"Unfortunately, there is not much we can do at the moment. We have no idea where Graystripe is right now. We can only hope that StarClan will indeed show him the way to our new home. For the moment just keep your eyes and ears open. Leafpaw, Squirrelpaw, if you get any more visions from StarClan regarding Graystripe, I want you to let me know at once." The two cats dipped their heads in acknowledgement. "Yes Firestar." The Thunderclan leader looked out over the faces of his Clan. "I have known Graystripe for many moons. If anyone can escape capture by Twolegs and find his way back to us, he can."


End file.
